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Lewis Milestone, a clothing manufacturer's son, was born in Bessarabia (now Moldova), raised in Odessa (Ukraine) and educated in Belgium and Berlin (where he studied engineering). He was fluent in both German and Russian and an avid reader. Milestone had an affinity for the theatre from an early age, starting as a prop man and background artist before traveling to the US in 1914 with $6.00 in his pocket. After a succession of odd jobs (including as a dishwasher and a photographer's assistant) he joined the Army Signal Corps in 1917 to make educational short films for U.S. troops. Following World War I, having acquired American citizenship, he went on to Hollywood to meet the director William A. Seiter at Ince Studios. Seiter started him off as an assistant cutter. Milestone quickly worked his way up the ranks to become editor, assistant director and screenwriter on many of Seiter's projects in the early 1920s, experiences that would greatly influence his directing style in years to come.

Milestone directed his first film, Seven Sinners (1925), for Howard Hughes and two years later won his first of two Academy Awards for the comedy Two Arabian Knights (1927). He received his second Oscar for what most regard as his finest achievement, the anti-war movie All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), based on a novel by Erich Maria Remarque. The film, universally praised by reviewers for its eloquence and integrity, also won the Best Picture Academy Award that year. A noted Milestone innovation was the use of cameras mounted on wooden tracks, giving his films a more realistic and fluid, rather than static, look. Other trademarks associated with his pictures were taut editing, snappy dialogue and clever visual touches, good examples being the screwball comedy The Front Page (1931), the melodrama Rain (1932)--based on a play by W. Somerset Maugham--and an adaptation of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (1939). When asked in 1979 about the secret behind his success, he simply declared "Arrogance, chutzpah--in the old Hollywood at least that's the thing that gave everybody pause" (New York Times, September 27, 1980). Milestone had a history of being "difficult", having clashed with Howard Hughes, Warner Brothers and a host of studio executives over various contractual and artistic issues. Nonetheless, he remained constantly employed and worked for most of the major studios at one time or another, though never on long-term contracts. While he was not required to testify before HUAC, Milestone was blacklisted for a year in 1949 because of left-wing affiliations dating back to the 1930's. His output became less consistent during the 1950s and his career finished on a low with the remake of Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) and its incongruously cast, equally headstrong star Marlon Brando.

Milestone must be credited with a quirky sense of humor: when the producer of "All Quiet on the Western Front", Carl Laemmle Jr., demanded a "happy ending" for the picture, Milestone telephoned, "I've got your happy ending. We'll let the Germans win the war".

Having suffered a stroke, Lewis Milestone spent the last ten years of his life confined to a wheelchair. He died September 25, 1980, at the University of California Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Miss Maria Cebotari complained about horrible pain during her opera performance the Figaro (music by Mozart) in Milano. She complained about her tiredness, and tried to fight against her unknown illness. Doctors discovered she had gallbladder infection. The diet she was on did not help at all. Miss Cebotari finally went for a medical examination under the direction of primarius doctor Strasser. An infected gallbladder was found, and gall stones needed to be removed. Miss Cebotari thought about her pain and tiredness, however she had no time to be ill at all. In March she played Laura in the operette 'The Beggar Student'. Furthermore she sang for an American movie company in Vienna 'L'Habanera' from the opera Carmen. Miss Cebotari was still performing in the operette which turned out to be a huge success; however her health was declining rapidly. The premiere of 'The Beggar Student' took place on March 27 in Vienna, Austria. Her last performance on stage ever was on March 31, while she was tortured by a lot of pain. Finally a surgery was performed on April 4 by primarius doctor Stradal. The doctor also discovered that Miss Cebotari suffered from Pankreas-Leberkarzinom, however did not inform her about this. The surgery came too late. After the surgery Miss Cebotari continued to have severe pains. However she made plans for the coming year and continued her schedule. Heavy painkillers relieved Miss Cebotari in her last days. After a long life in agonay Miss Cebotari died in her Villa in Vienna, Austria on June 9, 1949. Only the good die young.

Russian-born Joseph Gershenson began his show-business career in 1920 as a conductor of orchestras in movie theaters. Hired by Universal Pictures for its music department, he was made the department head in 1940. Gershenson's name appeared on virtually every Universal film made as music supervisor from 1949 until his retirement in 1969 after Angel in My Pocket (1969). He also branched out into producing and directing, using the pseudonym Joseph G. Sanford.

Nita Raya was born on 15 October 1915 in Kishinev, Russian Empire [now Chisinau, Moldova]. She was an actress, known for Le roi des gangsters (1935), Bécassine (1940) and Chipée (1938). She was married to Joseph Akcelrod. She died on 25 March 2015 in Trégastel, Côtes-d'Armor, France.

Andrei Tutyshkin was a notable Russian actor and director best known for his roles in Volga - Volga (1938), Carnival Night (1956), and Anna Karenina (1967).

He was born Andrei Petrovich Tutyshkin, on January 24, 1910, in Kishinyov, Russia (now Chishinau, Moldova). His father, Petr Tutyshkin, was a well known medical doctor in Kishinyov. The Tutyshkins moved to Moscow during the turbulent years of the Russian revolution. In 1927, then 17-year-old Andrei Tutyshkin made his stage debut at the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. From 1927 to 1930 he studied at the Vakhtangov Shool of Acting, graduating in 1930 as an actor.

From 1930 - 1952 he was a member of the troupe at Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as Varvara Popova, Boris Zakhava, Mikhail Astangov, Vladimir Etush, Nikolai Plotnikov, Iosif Tolchanov, Yuliya Borisova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Cecilia Mansurova, Nikolai Gritsenko, Yuriy Yakovlev, Andrei Abrikosov, Grigori Abrikosov, Boris Babochkin, Vladimir Osenev, Nikolai Timofeyev, Mikhail Sidorkin, Nikolai Pazhitnov, Vasili Kuza, Nikolai Bubnov, and Aleksandr Grave, among others. He made his directorial debut with staging of a popular comedy 'Solomennaya shlyapka' (aka.. A Straw Hat) starring Vladimir Osenev and Dina Andreeva.

On June 21, 1941, just one day before the Nazi invasion in WWII, Andrei Tutyshkin premiered his second directorial work, the highly praised 1941 production of 'Maskarad' (aka.. Masquerade) starring Iosif Tolchanov as Arbenin and Alla Kazanskaya as Nina. Tutyshkin's staging of the classic play by Mikhail Lermontov was acclaimed by critics and audiences. Tutyshkin's 'Maskarad' satirized the Soviet regime by comparing it to refined pre-revolutionary culture. 'Maskarad' was a multi-layered show peppered with jokes, hints, poses and gestures alluding to some Soviet political figures. Unfortunately, the Tutyshkin's 'Maskarade' had a very short run in Moscow. On July 23, 1941, the Nazi air-bombing had completely destroyed the Vakhtangov Theatre, killing many actors and personnel, including the principal actor Vasili Kuza, a close friend of Tutyshkin. The elaborate stage decorations for 'Maskarad' were also destroyed by the Nazi air-bombing. The war disrupted cultural life causing evacuation of surviving actors and staff. However, Tutyshkin continued successful performances of 'Maskarad' while in evacuation in Siberia.

Tutyshkin was a popular film star since his appearance opposite Lyubov Orlova in Volga - Volga (1938). Tutyshkin has many hilarious scenes in the film, including this song "America gave Russia a steamboat, but it's very, very, very slow." In 1942, the film was presented to president Franklin D. Roosevelt as a gift from Joseph Stalin, as a hint that the Allies were very, very, very slow to open-up the second front in Europe during WWII. Roosevelt requested full translation of the lyrics, and understood the humor, then instructed the US Ambassador Harriman to have a meeting with Stalin in Moscow. Although, Tutyshkin worked on the movie before the war started, his creativity revealed a premonition that helped international relations between the Allies.

After the war, Andrei Tutyshkin was designated Honorable Actor of Russia (1946), but then he suffered after the political attacks on Russian intellectuals in 1946 and 1948, under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. After the death of Stalin, Tutyshkin resumed his career as a stage director and actor. During the 1950s, Tutyshkin directed several stage productions in Moscow. In 1954 he made his debut as a film director together with his partner Vladimir Dostal in My s vami gde-to vstrechalis (1954). However, some Soviet political figures were holding old grudges against Tutyshkin, and made his life in Moscow unbearable, so he had to move to Leningrad.

Later, in the 60s, Tutyshkin directed several popular comedies. His best directorial work is Wedding in Malinovka (1967), starring Mikhail Pugovkin, Zoya Fyodorova, Mikhail Vodyanoy, Vladimir Samoylov, Lyudmila Alfimova, Nikolay Slichenko, and other notable actors. The film was awarded at the Leningrad-68 film festival, and became a comedy classic; it also propelled the Moldavian folk dance group "Zhok" to international recognition.

During the 1960s Tutyshkin lived and worked in Leningrad. He was artistic director of Musical Comedy Theatre, and later was artistic director of Lenkom Theatre in Leningrad. He died of a heart attack on November 30, 1971, and was laid to rest next to his father in Moscow, Russia.

Stepan Kuznetsov was born on 27 January 1879 in Kishinev, Russian Empire [now Chisinau, Moldova]. He was an actor, known for Kapitanskaya dochka (1928), Slesar i kantsler (1924) and Shakhtyory (1937). He died on 18 April 1932 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].

Lucjan Zitrig was born on 14 April 1893 in Kishinev, Russian Empire [now Chisinau, Moldova]. He was an actor, known for Awatar, czyli zamiana dusz (1964) and The Postmaster (1968). He died on 1 February 1970 in Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland.